DR. SHEPARD'S BLOG

1. Some people won't like you, and that is okay. I love the Dita Von Teese quote: "You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world,...

People with agoraphobia become anxious that they will have a panic attack (or other embarrassing or scary symptoms) somewhere they cannot...

Disclaimer: Please note that this is not medical advice but for educational purposes only. Only a trained professional who has completed...

I have (bizarrely) amassed a large social media following. And in doing so, I've been forced to confront my people-pleasing ways like...

Written by Mattie Kearse, medically reviewed by Melissa Shepard, MD As you overnight your last-minute Halloween costumes this year, we’d...

By Mattie Kearse, medically reviewed by Melissa Shepard, MD ​​ *Trigger warning - suicidal thoughts, self-harm* Driving up 85 North, I...

I recently wrote about breaking up with hustle culture, and I got a lot of comments from people who felt the same. I wrote about my...

I'm doing something scary. I'm prioritizing my passions, and I'm not sure if it will work out. I'm taking a big pay cut to focus on my...

There is a lot of advice out there for parenting a child with ADHD. But what do you do when you, the parent, have ADHD? Parenting is hard...

Like most of us, I struggle with procrastination sometimes. But over the past two decades, I’ve gotten a much better hold on my...

I've noticed that three feelings keep me and many others from reaching most of our goals and living the kind of life we want to live:...

Trigger warning: This post describes descriptions of and alternatives to self-harm and may be triggering for some people. Self-harm is...

Yesterday, towards the end of a long day, I was working, and my mind started to drift off into thoughts about how tired I was. I thought...

Anxiety feels bad. And whenever we feel bad, our instinct is to try to get rid of whatever is causing that feeling. And strangely enough,...

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. - William James It's hard not to get discouraged sometimes. So many areas of our life...

Women are thought to be just as likely to have ADHD as men but are more likely than their male counterparts to go undiagnosed. We don't...

Please note: this information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be medical advice and should not replace the advice...

There are many different potential treatment options for ADHD. While medications are not always necessary, they can be a very helpful...

We tend to think of anxiety as "all in our heads." And yes, worry might be a big part of your anxiety. But many people with significant...

It can be tough to make meaningful life changes. Some of the most impactful changes can take years of hard work and persistence. That...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be a challenging illness to live with and manage. If you haven't already, click to read my...

As a psychotherapist and psychiatrist, I have noticed some common themes among the people who seem the happiest. And when I refer to...

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is probably one of the most misunderstood psychiatric disorders. You may hear people joking about...

Image courtesy of Shutterstock I won't lie. It has taken me a really long time to build up my confidence. Most of my teens and early...

Lithium (also known as lithium carbonate, lithium citrate, and Lithobid in the US), is the oldest medication for bipolar disorder,...

It can be overwhelming when someone is stressed, anxious, or angry. Most of us have learned that telling someone to "calm down" or...

If you are in a relationship with someone who struggles with depression, you probably know that there are unique challenges. As with any...

Intrusive thoughts are unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that arise suddenly and unexpectedly and can cause a lot of anxiety. Intrusive...

You finally sit down to start working on that final project that's due next week (you know, the one you were supposed to be working on...

By now you've probably heard that tennis star Naomi Osaka has pulled out of the French Open. Image credit: By si.robi - cropped from...

Image courtesy of Unsplash Many of us (especially those who struggle with depression or anxiety) tend to internalize our flaws, making...

Resentment is like a poison we carry around inside us with the hope that when we get the chance we can deposit it where it will harm...

Many people with major depressive disorder wait a long time to seek help simply because they don't realize that their symptoms are signs...

I was feeling pretty down a few days ago. No particular reason: it was just one of those days where nothing seemed to be going right. I...

Please note that this is not medical advice but for educational purposes only. Only a trained professional who has completed a clinical...

Relationships are complex. We like to think that our interactions with other people are straightforward: they do or say something, and we...

Determining your values is crucial to self-development because improving your life requires clarifying where you are going. Figuring out...

This weekend we had to say goodbye to our beloved cat of almost 12 years. Her name was Petunia (but she went by a variety of nicknames:...

Abraham Maslow defined self-actualization as "self-fulfillment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualized in what...

Habit change is hard, so we want to give ourselves every possible advantage when setting out to make a significant change. And many of...

Achieving your goals and making progress can be challenging. Especially if what you want is radically different from what you've got. It...

What are depersonalization and derealization? Depersonalization and derealization (DPDR) happen to many people (up to 50% in some...

Once you've realized you may have a mental health problem like depression or anxiety, the next step is getting help. Getting help may be...

In general, therapy (no matter what form it takes) can be incredibly helpful and even life-changing. However, we forget that just because...

Many people make New Years resolutions. But by the time February has rolled around, most of those resolutions are long gone. How is it...